


Tales from Moominbelly

by sugardabbler



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Child Death, Dark Comedy, Gen, People Eating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 15:21:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20428121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugardabbler/pseuds/sugardabbler
Summary: Too-Ticky hopes the Moomin family can make Ninny visible once again.





	Tales from Moominbelly

It was a stormy night when Too-Ticky arrived, an invisible child in tow. Her name was Ninny, so they had been told, and an uncaring relative had frightened the girl to the point she became pale and eventually faded from sight.

_So I brought her here,_ Too-Ticky had said, believing that if anyone were capable of making her visible again, it would be the Moomins.

And with that Ninny became the newest fixture in the family. It didn't take long for them to accustom to her presence, or lack thereof. She barely spoke or made any noise at all, save for the bell around her neck, its tinkling always trailing behind the other children. In time she slowly became more visible, first showing her feet, followed by her legs and paws. Eventually they could see her entire body, now clothed in a pink dress and ribbon sewn by Moominmamma. But disappointingly, Ninny's face remained a mystery.

Days and weeks passed with no change, until one afternoon by the seaside.

Moominpappa had only planned to spice up Moominmamma's life by shoving her into the ocean. Ninny's teeth clamping down on his tail told him it was a bad move.

"How dare you push her into the sea!" Ninny cried. Her face, long unseen by the world, now stared back at Moominpappa with reddened cheeks and determined blue eyes.

"Look, Mamma, I see her!" Moomin said as he leapt across the dock, taking Ninny's paws in his own and dancing circles around her. "Isn't she sweet?"

"Sweet as a fresh pea." Mamma lovingly pinching her cheek. "And plump as a summer berry."

"Ha, let's hope she hasn't spoiled already. She's the silliest, nastiest, most badly brought up child I have ever met." Moominpappa leaned over to fish his fallen hat from out of the water.

Naturally, he fell in. And everybody laughed, Ninny most heartily of all.

"Now children, let's go back home," Moominmamma said. "There is much to be done before dinner!"

* * *

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Too-Ticky's head peeked into the Moomin's dining room, where the family had just gathered for their evening meal.

"Not at all, dear, you're just in time," Mamma said. "In fact, we hoped we would see you tonight."

Too-ticky entered the room and shrugged off her coat. "Thank you, Moominmamma. Actually, I stopped by to check up on Ninny," she explained.

"She showed her face today!" Little My hollered in her booming voice, grasping a fork and steak knife with tiny paws that made her utensils seem comically over-sized.

"And now we're having her for dinner," Moomin said cheerfully, to which he gestured to the spread of food upon the table.

"Won't you sit down with us," Moominpappa offered, taking his pipe from his mouth.

Too-Ticky's understanding, half-mast eyes lit up with joy as she spied a platter of gravy smothered cutlets placed prominently in the center of the feast. Sitting down, she helped herself to a generous serving of the tender young flesh. A chorus of mmmmmm's soon filled the room as everyone began eagerly clearing their own plates.

"This is delicious... Seasoned just right... I knew I made the right choice bringing Ninny to your home," Too-Ticky said between mouthfuls. And once the last of the garlicky girl-avy was lapped up, she leaned back in her seat contently.

"To think, it only took a bit of loving patience for her true... _flavour_ to shine through," Too-Ticky said thoughtfully.

"It's all thanks to Grandma's recipes," Moominmamma smiled. "Her page on people who start getting misty and difficult to eat was most helpful."

"Indeed, Mamma," Moominpappa replied, stroking his still-stinging tail. "Of course, I prefer food that _doesn't_ bite back."

**Author's Note:**

> ooooookay this is probably the last moomin fic i'll write where someone gets served for dinner. at least for a while. if i make any more i'll probably add them as extra chapters to this story. which is why i chose this title (that and im lazy)
> 
> -
> 
> i borrowed from a few different tellings of this story, but any time the moomin characters act extremely pleasant you know im channeling the 90s anime 
> 
> -
> 
> ps its so fun writing grim/horror-y themed stuff, but normal. i still hope to find more ways of doing that.


End file.
